Oliver Kahn reveals role he played in the Hansi Flick contract extension for Bayern

Bayern Munich is a force to be reckoned with under Hansi Flick and he’s justifiably been rewarded with a contract that keeps him in charge of the club until at least 2023. With the way he’s had this Bayern side performing this season, his contract extension was an inevitability, but it was still a decision that had to be formally made by the club’s front office.

In a recent interview with Sport Bild (via AZ) Oliver Kahn revealed the pivotal role he played in the decision to extend Flick, and how he acted as a mediator between the manager and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.

In his first 6th months on Bayern’s executive board of directors, Kahn has been working closely with the front office to work on squad planning and getting contract extensions sorted. In addition to Flick, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, and Alphonso Davies have also signed extensions.

Regarding the decision to extend Flick, Kahn gave insight into what the executive board took into consideration before presenting Flick with a permanent contract. He said, “We intensively analyzed how he is developing the team, how he is bringing individual players forward, and how the he moderates the team structure of FC Bayern with its many top players. You can see what the result of our analysis was from his contract extension.”

In terms of transfer planning and policies, Flick and Salihamidzic have had some differing viewpoints. Before signing his contract extension, Flick had essentially asked for a right to veto transfer decisions if he disagreed with them. Brazzo had been critical of Flick’s call for signings during Bayern’s winter training camp in Doha, Qatar, as injury problems were mounting. Brazzo made it clear that it would be difficult to find players who were readily available during the winter transfer window. The pair also had slightly differing opinions on Leroy Sané, Kai Havertz, and Timo Werner, but Kahn has been a mediator of sorts, helping the two see eye to eye.

Apparently, Kahn led an open discussion with Flick and Brazzo so that the could settle their differences in regard to Bayern’s transfer policies.

Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

Currently, Kahn is still working closely with the front office to complete contract negotiations with David Alaba and Thiago Alcantara, both of whom have yet to agree to an extension. The club wants to be able to extend the contracts of both players, but both players also have a lot to consider. Perhaps Kahn’s mediation abilities could be of great significance for these negotiations, as well.

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